Yuki Tsunoda: Better in Miami... while waiting for good

A low-key weekend, but a rather successful weekend for Yuki tsunodaThe Japanese driver fulfilled his objective in Miami, qualifying in Q3 and scoring some points at the Florida meeting. However, it was no rest for the new driver. Red Bull, who had started very badly on Friday, being eliminated in SQ1 before the Sprint. However, thanks to the weather and an inspired timing for his pit stop – but also thanks to the penalties applied at the end of the race – the Japanese driver was able to climb back to 6th place in the Sprint, his best race finish since joining Red Bull.

The next day, at the Grand Prix, Yuki Tsunoda quickly found himself in a no man's land In 10th place, with no one to fight with. Not in the rhythm of the drivers in front of him, but faster than those behind, the #22 seemed doomed to finish 10th, his starting position. But that was before his pit stop... and his arrival a little too quickly in the pit lane. Trying to optimize his entry, the Japanese locked his wheels and was guilty of speeding by passing in front of the radar. The punishment was immediate: 5 seconds of penalty for a practically zero gain. Thus, Yuki Tsunoda found himself under threat from Isack Hadjar for the last available point, and finally managed to hold on to his 10th place by only a tenth of a second.

“My old teammate certainly didn’t make my life easy! In the last 10 laps, he picked up the pace while I was attacking, and he came back too. It was really difficult, but I did what I had to do and maximized my pace, said the Red Bull driver after the Miami Grand Prix. Obviously, [that mistake] was a bit unnecessary and it made my life a lot harder with the five-second [penalty]. I'm happy to be able to score points, but at the same time I'm not happy with the pace I had, and I think the whole team struggled [on] the overall pace, not just me, so [it's] something we have to look at."

Tsunoda not yet at ease

Result: with 6th place in the Sprint and 10th place in the Grand Prix, Yuki Tsunoda leaves Miami with four additional points. Never before has the second Red Bull driver had so many points in a race weekend since the United States Grand Prix in October 2024 (six points scored by Sergio Pérez). An eternity for a team of this caliber. As the weekends went by, Yuki Tsunoda established himself in the Top 10 and found his feet with the RB21. Nevertheless, the Japanese driver is far from satisfied with his own performances, he admits to still being in trouble with the car Austrian. In Miami, he was not in the game against the Ferrari and even in the face of Williams.

“The Williams were flying [on Sunday] but at the same time I think we didn't have good pace at all, conceded Yuki TsunodaI struggled right from qualifying: I feel like the car isn't behaving the way I expect it to, and that's currently the main limitation. To be honest, it's hard to explain what the problem is. I did everything I could do in this race and that was probably the maximum I could do for now. For sure we'll have to look at it more closely, for driving style or whatever, but yes, it's difficult. Although its results are still far from perfect, especially in comparison with Max Verstappen, Yuki Tsunoda is slowly starting to make his mark at Red Bull. Let's hope it lasts.

ALSO READ > Should Liam Lawson also be worried about his seat at Racing Bulls?